Cutting-die



W. B. FREEMAN.

CUTTING me.

APPLICATlON' FILED MAR. 22, 1920. I 1,390, 1 1 '7 PatentedSepL 6,1921.

I j a I I m m 2,5 25 g: mil", H 15} 10 1f 20 2/ 20 3/ 11 W I 1 *1 1 I L I lb [It I fizz/chie l lzeffifieeman fl flwm stars \ATENT WALTER B. FREEMAN, OF CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO B. F. GOODRICH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

. A CORPORATION OF YORK.

CUTTING-DIE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVALTER B. FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Guyahoga Falls, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Cutting-Die, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cutting dies, and more particularly those for making gaskets and the like out of flat material such as leather, rubber, fabric, rubberized fabric, etc. One object of my invention is to enable one knife or cutter to be readily substituted for another in the die, and a furthein object is to provide an improved means for holding a number of circular or other knives in predetermined positions in such manner that their relative positions may be varied and knives of different sizes, shapes or numbers substituted when it is desired to change the size or lay-out of the article in one or more particulars.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing a press wherein is mounted a die constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a reverse plan view of the die, partly broken away, on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 on a still larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line of Fig. 3.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, the die, which is shown mounted in a guide frame composed of a pair of tracks 11 (of which the front one is shown) on the fixed top platen or cross-head 12 of a press, in such manner that it may he slid to different positions over a sheet of material supported on the movable press platen 13, in order to bring it over suc cessive uncut portions of said sheet, the cutting action being produced as usual by the relative approaching movement of the two platens.

14 is a square metal plate constituting the principal member of the holder for the knives or cutters, which are here shown in the form of continuous-edge, circular cutters adapted to define an inner and an outer peripheral edge on a gasket or similar article, to cut therein an annular series of holes, such as bolt-holes. 15 is a relatively-large, circular knife adapted to cut the outer periphery of the gasket. 16 is a smaller circu" Specification of Letters Patent. Patented s pt 6 1921 Annlication filed March 22, 1920. 7

Serial No. senses.

lar knife mounted concentrically within the circle of the knife 15 and adapted to cut the inner periphery of the gasket, and 17, 17 are a number of small circular knives or punches, arranged in an annular row or series midway between the knives l5 and 16, for cutting out the bolt-holes or intermediate perforations in the gasket. j

The knives 15 and 16 are supported on the plate 14 by means of a number of clamping devices 18 arranged in two annular rows or series and having their stems slidably mounted in a series of relatively-long, radial slots 19, 19, formed in said plate. Each clamping device comprises a pair of fixed jaws 2O carrying set-screws 21 for detachably engaging the knife 15 or 16, and a threaded stem 22 passing through the slot 19 and carrying on the upper side of the plate 1 1 a nut 23 which has holes 24 for receiving a spanner to screw it down against the plate, the largest diameter of said stem being greater than the width of the slot and the stem being flattened as shown at 25 to prevent it from turning in the slot. By means of the nut 23 the clamp head formed by the drawn up against the bottom of the plate to hold the clamping device in a fixed position. The jaws 20 are separated by a transverse groove or slot 26 which is deep enough :to allow the back of the knife 15 or 16 to abut against the plate 14 in order that said plate may receive the thrust of the cutting action.

Each slot 19 may, as shown, conveniently receive two of the clamping devices 18, one pertaining to the the outer knife 15 and the other to the inner knife 16.

A series of relatively-shorter radial slots 126 are formed in the plate 14 alternately with the long slots 19, and in these short slots are mounted the threaded stems 27 of the small cutters or punches 17 said stems having nuts 28 on their upper ends for drawing said cutters 17 upwardly against the under side of the plate and holding them in fixed position thereon. The central aperture of each cutter 17 is occupied by a softrubber plug 29 which acts as an ejector for the disk which is removed by said cutter in each operation thereof. The nuts 23 and 28 abut against the under side of the cross-head 12 so as to communicate the cutting thrust to said cross-head.

The detachable connection of the knives 1.5 and 16 with their clamping members 18,

which is effected by means of the set-screws 21, enables said knives to be removed when substituted for either knife 15 or ldwhen it is desired to cut a longer or shorter edge on either periphery of the gasket; while the adj ustability of the clamping devices lengths wise of their slots 19 permits their positions to be shifted according to the size of the knife. In like manner the small cutters 17 may be shifted radiallyalong their slots 126 to bring them into the desired positions with reference to the knives 15 and 16, and, if de sired, a greater or less number, such as four or eight, of said small cutters may be used, and these cutters may be detached from the plate 14 for the substitution of similar cutters of a different size or sizes; I

It will be obvious that the described construction and arrangement could be suitably varied. The invention is not wholly limited to the employment of circular knives or punches or their concentric arrangement as here represented.

The use ofjmy invention avoids the neces sity for making up a special composite die for every different size of gasket, and permits the cutting in a single operation of a complete gasket which may be varied in size within the. range of adjustability of the device.

I claim: p

1. A die comprising a holder provided with a series of clamp guides, a series of clamps mounted on said guides and a cutter detachably mounted in said clamps and abutting said holder between said clamps.

2. A die comprising a plate formed with a series of slots, a series of clamps shiftably mounted in said slots and a. knife detachably mounted in said clamps, said clamps being adapted to permit said plate to bear directly upon said knife.

8. A die-cutting mechanism comprising press, a plate formed with slots, clamping members having threaded stems mounted in said slots, a knife mounted in said clamping members. on one side of said plate and abutting the latter, and nuts threaded upon the stems of said clamping members on the other-side of said plate, said nuts being adapted to bear against the platen of said v press.

4; A die comprising a plate formed with a series of slots, knife-clamping members haying threaded stems shi ftably mounted in said slots an d' knife-clamping portions substantially in line with the axes of said stems, a knife mounted in said clamping-members, and nuts threaded on said stems on the op posite side of said plate.

5. A die comprising a plate formed with a series of substantially radial slots, a pair of continuous-edge cutters positioned one with 'mounted clamping devices for detachably connecting said cutter with the holder, and a series of'cutters mounted on said holder forperforating thework at various points having a predetermined relation to the edge defined by said continuous cutter.

7. A multiple die comprising aholder, inner and outer continuousedge cutters mounted thereon and a series of intermediate cutters shiftable on said holder toward and from said continuous-edge cutters.

8.-A multiple die comprising a holder, inner and outer circular cutters mounted thereon, and an annular series of intermediate cutters shiftable on said holder toward and from said circular cutters.

9. A multiple die comprising a holder plate formed with substantiallyradial slots,

an inner and an outer series of clamps shift-ably mounted in certain of saidslots, inner and outer continuous-edge cutters detachably mounted in said clamps, an intermediate series of clamps shiftably mounted in certain of said slots, and an intermediate series of relatively-small continuous edge cutters mounted in the last-said Series of clamps.

10. In a die, the combination of a holder plate formed with a series of'slots, a knife, and clamps engaging said knife at a series of points on the latter and shiftable along said slots, one or more ofsaid clamps com prising a pair of fixed jaws forming a head on one side of the plate, a' knife-engaging.

set-screw in one of said jaws, a threaded stem passing through said slot, and a nut on said stem on the opposite side ofthe plate. v,

In witness whereof I have hereunto. set my hand this 15th day of March, 1920.

,, ALTER B. FREEMAN. 

